RSPCA North Wiltshire and Swindon Climate Action Network (SCAN) worked together to provide this event as part of the Plastic Free Swindon campaign. Plastic and other waste products pose a very real threat to wildlife, birds and other animals: https://swindonclimate.org/rspca_plastic_free/ So, we decided to do something positive about it. Helping to clean up Pinehurst, making it nicer and safer for animals and humans and caring for our environment. We will use some of the plastic collected in this event for art projects as part of Plastic Free Swindon. There were a mix of people who work for RSPCA North Wiltshire and SCAN volunteers at the event so it was a good opportunity to find out about the work that goes on in Swindon. This is one of several planned litter picks for Plastic Free Swindon. For more info on the campaign: https://swindonclimate.org/category/campaigns/plasticfreeswindon/

Swindon Street Reps are a group of volunteers who are passionate about making a difference in their local community. Started in 2015 by Swindon Borough Council Housing as a way of engaging tenants and residents in better communication with the council, the role evolved into a more active and diverse range of activities. One of the first and on going activities Street Reps engaged in was community litter picks. Litter is a real issue on the estates, especially off the main roads where it may be missed by clean up crews. Litter causes many issues to the environmental well being of both people and wildlife, plastic especially as it doesn’t break down. Street Reps sought to tackle this by running ‘litter pick parties’ where a group would focus on a few streets at a time and clean the area. They would also aim to inform and educate people on proper[…]

Addicted to Plastic – From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. For better and for worse, no ecosystem or aspect of human activity has escaped the shrink-wrapped grasp of plastic. Addicted To Plastic is a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses, why there’s so much of it and what we can do about it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up. We were pleased to show this film in July as part of our Plastic Free Swindon campaign. The film provides an excellent, well-rounded overview of plastics. We had a positive discussion about the issues that the film brings up, possible solutions and ways to get involved to make much-needed positive changes.

Swindon Climate Action Network are pleased and excited to announce the Plastic Free Swindon campaign; a collection of events and actions to engage and collaborate with the people, organisations and institutions of Swindon. Events will include art creation, a community clean-up for our animal friends, live music, films, creative competitions, a plastic-free blog, articles written by local groups and people and more… We launch this campaign on World Environment Day, the 5th of June 2018, a UN initiative which, this year, addresses plastic. Swindon will play its part and we encourage you to get involved!! The campaign will incorporate Speak Up Week, which runs from the 30th of June to the 8th of July, encouraging us to influence our MPs to make good choices on our behalf. We will be challenging the people of Swindon to sign up to Plastic Free July and encourage others to do the same. Going plastic[…]

Our fifth Climate Cafe featured a talk and Q&A on Wildlife and Climate Change by Simon Smith, who spoke about how wildlife adapts to climate change, and what can we do to help? Simon answered these questions with a focus on our local wildlife. Having worked and volunteered in environmental conservation for over 30 years, Simon is passionate about our local wildlife and how science can be applied to prevent extinctions. This was another free event put on by SCAN, and hosted by our friends at Darkroom Espresso. Photograph – Adonis Blue, one of the species benefiting from climate change (taken by Simon)

The seeds of a better food system. In Our Hands explores a quiet revolution that is transforming the way our food is produced and distributed. Our current industrial food system is a vast and wheezing giant that is only upheld by a stilted subsidy regime that pays out to landowners and leaves many farmers by the wayside. But from the hedge-rows and by-roads, the fields and furrows can now be heard the stirring of change! Stories from the global South have inspired farmers and food workers in our snug little island, with the idea of food sovereignty and a global movement to take back control of the food system. From the grazier reviving the art of pasture, to the grower erecting a poly-tunnel in the heart of East London or the farmer saving a handful of ancient grain, a new agricultural landscape is emerging. Here rural traditions meet modern innovations[…]

As part of on-going campaign work, SCAN keeps in touch with our local MPs, and sometimes other decision-makers, to ensure that the subject of climate change remains on their ‘radar’. We held a letter-writing workshop in the run up to the last General Election and sent these to each of the candidates standing for election. Further workshops will be announced and will be open to anyone who would like to write to their MP on sustainability or climate change issues. They are a great opportunity to share knowledge about the current key sustainability issues and to get help with facts or format for your letter. Please let us know if there is a pressing issue that you think we should address, either by email – or by coming along to one of our meetings, Green Drinks or other events.

Our Network Mapper, Jo, has been working hard to identify other groups in Swindon with whom SCAN could collaborate on the 3 key issues we plan to focus on this year – those of Home Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Transport, and Sustainable Food. Her sterling work has already raised a number of possibilities – but if you are an individual or member of a group which has an interest in any of the above three areas we’d love to hear from you so do please get in touch by email or via the facebook page.

The third in the Climate Cafe series took place place on Monday 29th January 2018 at Darkroom Espresso. This demo, talk and Q&A explored the Healthy Homes project, which has been a collaboration between Passive House expert Mike Neate, SCAN and others. The audience heard how to prevent heat leaks in your home by improving it’s air-tightness on a budget. And had the chance to ask Mike any questions they had on how to improve the energy flow within their homes. The Swindon Climate Cafes are a series of free talks and workshops focusing on all things ‘eco’ and environment, from the science, to the very hands on and practical. We hope you’ll join us for the next one!

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Fwd from Repair Cafe: 'Exciting news! Incredible Edible have got enough helpers to be able to run a Crop Swap at the next Repair Cafe and Free Shop!Bring along your homegrown fruit & veg to swap, or take some away for a donation to Incredible Edible :-)'SCAN are also at this event - please see event details. ...

Thanks to everyone involved in making the first 'No Plastic Bands' gig at The Castle a good night. Eclectic music, good company, conversations about plastic (rock and roll!), shiny happy people laughing and we made some much-needed money towards the Refill Swindon campaign 🙂Next gig in August, details to follow shortly... ...